Insomnia
Insomnia [noun]: inability to obtain sufficient sleep, esp. when chronic; difficulty in falling or staying asleep; sleeplessness.
An insomniac was not something Lucas Scott wanted to add to his repertoire but for now it was his reality, even if people didn't know about it. For the past three weeks he would toss and turn in his sleep, only to be plagued by a life altering decision. Three women, three beautiful women, all of whom he had a past with. First, Peyton Sawyer, the girl he was destined to be with. The girl who liked the same books, the same music, and the idea of being Mrs. Lucas Scott. Next came Lindsey Strauss the beautiful brunette book editor, who Lucas had fallen for shortly after his failed proposal to Peyton. She was also the women who left Lucas at the alter. Finally came fiercely independent Brooke Davis. The girl who in the beginning, was known as a meaningless slut but eventually turned out to be the least of everyone's expectations.
For the twenty-seventh night in a row Lucas found himself staring at the ceiling, attempting to find an answer. Just pick one, the tiny voice inside his head was telling him. How was it even possible to love three girls at once? He was not quite sure. He turned his head over to see the clock flashing a 3:00 am sign, over, and over, and over again. He sighed in defeat and rolled back over on his back and stared at his bedroom door. He noticed a faint light in the distance. Did I leave the light on? he questioned himself as he rolled himself out of bed.
He inched closer and closer to the light and began to see a shadow in his hallway. Shit, someone's in the house, he thought to himself as he inched closer and closer, keeping a grave distance. As he inched closer he saw a figure of girl, one that he'd never seen before. Now he was panicking. How did she get in here? Was she going to kill him? He wasn't quite sure. He rounded the corner clutching the nearest picture frame in his hand. He'd have to hit her with something if she attacked. As he stood in the doorway she turned around with a smile on her face.
"Well, Lucas Scott, it's a pleasure to finally meet you", she said coyly as Lucas held the picture frame firmly in his hand.
"Who… who are you?" he stuttered in fear as she laughed.
"I'm terribly sorry, I didn't even properly introduce myself. My name's Sam and let's just say I'm a guide", she told him as he looked at her with a confused look on his face.
"A guide? A guide to what?" he asked her as she smiled an angelic smile.
"A guide that will guide you in the right direction. I've noticed you haven't been sleeping in the past, what… twenty seven nights. It looks like you have a very life altering decision to make", she told him.
"How'd you know that?" he asked her as she gave a slight chuckle.
"Lucas, I'm your guide. Ever have one of those moments when you hear that little something inside your head. That's me", she told him as he stared at her dumbfounded.
"So you're my conscience?" he asked her.
"Technically, yes. But in another sense not really. You see, I can come to life, much like now, however I can't initially make the decision for you. I follow what's based upon your feelings", she told him as he continued to listen to her.
"And those feelings direct you to three women", she said as she placed three pictures on his table. One of Brooke, one of Peyton and one of Lindsey. He studied the pictures carefully.
"Their all very beautiful aren't they", she said as Lucas nodded.
"Do you want to take a little trip with me, Lucas Scott?" she asked him as he looked at her. Was he going senile? I mean was time travel even possible? No time travel was definitely not possible, him going senile on the other hand, quite likely.
"Alright", he agreed, "let's do it".
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Lucas was blinded by a white light. Had he died? No, he definitely was not dead. Lucas looked up to see streamers falling freely from the gymnasium, a gymnasium he had seen and been in many times before.
"Where are we?" he asked Sam.
"The night of your championship, when you choose Peyton", she told him as she pointed out to the direction in front of her. He sees his eighteen year old self staring back at him. He notices his eighteen year old body pushing through the crowd of people. Then he sees a brunette girl reaching out to him for a hug.
"Congratulations Luke", Brooke said enthusiastically as she reached out and gave him a hug.
"Well, it looks like all your dreams came true, who do you want standing next to you?" she asked him as his former self kinked an eyebrow.
"Go, go", she told him as she gave him a push towards Peyton. He moved forward to an eighteen year old Peyton, who at the time was mesmerized by the streamers falling freely, when he remembered the words that popped into his head.
"I'll be seeing you".
"It's you", he told her simply.
"What?" she questioned.
"It's you Peyton, it's you. The one I want standing next to me. It's you", he told her as he kissed her.
Lucas watched his former self kiss the girl, he could still potentially love. He remembered the night. The night he, as did everyone else, was meant to be with Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer.
"Pretty great night huh?" Sam asked him as he shrugged.
"Lucas, I'm in your head you know. I know it was a great night", she laughed as Lucas laughed with her. Lucas continued to stare.
"Hey Luke, we gotta go", Sam told him as he nodded. Sam grabbed a handful of streamers and blew into them. Lucas felt surrounded in colour until he landed on the floor with a thud.
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"Where are we?" he asked her as he rubbed his head. He stood up and looked around. He was at a church. As he looked ahead he saw himself standing at the alter Nathan by his side.
"We better move, here comes the bride", Sam said in a sing song voice as she grabbed Lucas' forearm and pulled him back behind a pew. Lucas saw Lindsey walk down the aisle.
"Are you trying to humiliate me?" he whispered to her as she shrugged her shoulders.
"You want to sleep, don't you?" she questioned him.
"Touché", he replied.
He continued to watch the half ceremony, and then later watched himself at the alter succumb to his knees as she ran down the aisle. He looked at the familiar faces that were etched with horror on them. Nathan didn't know what to say, Haley was confused, Peyton was overjoyed, and Brooke, well Brooke was trying to hold back the tears.
"Makes you feel pretty low huh?" Sam asked him as he gave a fake smile.
"No, how did you guess?" he said sarcastically as she laughed.
"Alright, fine, fine, but we need to go now. Take one last look Lucas Scott at the one who got away", she said as Lucas was blinded by a white silk material that had flown in his direction. And in an instant he landed in the familiar living room.
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Lucas looked around at Brooke's living room. Everything was just as she had left it. He saw her sitting on the couch, crying, and clutching her purple monkey. Angie had just left, to return to her real parents.
"Is she always this sad?" Sam asked him as he shrugged.
"No, but I think sometimes she is. She just likes to hide it", Lucas told Sam as Sam nodded. He continued to watch until his thoughts were interrupted when he saw himself, twenty seven days prior, enter the door.
"Hey Brooke, how you holding up?" he asked her as she shrugged.
"I'm okay, just waiting for the agency to call telling me she's okay", she said as she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.
"You were great with her Brooke, you should be so proud. I'm proud of you", he told her as she smiled.
"Thanks Luke", she grinned as he pulled her close in a hug.
"Call me when she's safe", he told her as she nodded. He proceeded to the door until he was stopped by her voice.
"Here", she told him as she handed him the purple monkey.
"Brooke are you sure?" he asked her as nodded.
"She meant as much to you as she did to me. You should have it", she told him as he accepted it.
"I love you Lucas Scott", she told him.
"I love you too, Brooke Davis", he told her as he proceeded out the door.
Lucas watched the interaction with himself and Brooke. It was so easy and uncomplicated. Even after all they've been through, having so much history, it was just easy. Lucas then found himself surrounded by a purple light and eventually when the purple light no longer surrounded him, he was face first on his kitchen floor.
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"Shit", Lucas said as he felt the pain in his face.
"Why do I always end up on the floor?" he questioned Sam as he rubbed his head. She handed him an ice pack from the freezer and sat him down on the chair. The three pictures stared back at him, but all had new additions.
Peyton's picture had streamers across it. Lindsey's had a white piece of silk lying on it. Brooke's had the purple monkey sitting upright at the top corner of the picture. Magically they turned themselves over.
"Pick one", Sam urged him as Lucas looked at her confusingly.
"Just pick one", she stated again.
Lucas stared at white backings of all the pictures. He looked over them all, over, and over, and over again.
"That one", he said as he pointed to a picture, that flipped itself back over.
"You can open your eyes now Lucas", Sam told him.
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Lucas eyes fluttered open. Had it all been a dream? It had been. It had been the first night, out of twenty seven others where Lucas had actually slept. He new his choice, but was it too late?
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"Hey it's me. I have two tickets to Vegas, want to get married tonight?" he asked the person on the other line.
"Ha, ha very funny Lucas", the voice on the other line had said.
"Brooke, I'm not being funny, I'm being serious", he told Brooke seriously as she remained speechless.
"I'll be right there", she told him as she hung up.
After twenty minutes of waiting, Lucas' flight was about to leave, there was no Brooke in sight.
"She'll be here", the voice inside his head stated. He could only hope this was true.
As he heard the final boarding call for the flight to Vegas, Lucas picked up his bags. He was about to enter the terminal, when the raspy voice had stopped him.
"Lucas!", the voice screamed as Lucas turned around with a grin on his face. He could see her running towards him.
"Brooke!", he yelled back as he met up with her.
"Lucas what are we doing?" she told him seriously as he smiled.
"I'm in love with you Brooke Davis", he told her.
"Why?" she asked him.
"Because you are the only person I want next to me when my dreams come true. When I was with Peyton, you supported me. When Lindsey left you were there, Brooke. You've been there for every moment when I needed you. You promised to save me and you did Brooke. And I've given four embarrassing speeches and they've all been with you. That's got to mean something", he told her as she started crying.
"I'm the guy for you Brooke Davis", he told her as she kissed him. He released from the kiss, only to catch his breath.
"I'm sorry I never got to save you", he told her as she grinned.
"You saved me Lucas Scott, you saved me from myself", she told him as she kissed him again.
"I love you Lucas Scott", she told him.
"I love you too, Brooke Davis", he told her as they kissed again. Lucas made his choice, and this choice he was definitely going to stick to!